In contrast to the 1850s squatters on Goose Island, those who called the area home by the 1880s demanded services and improvements as property holders in the City of Chicago. While the area had no street lights (except kerosene lamps) and no paved streets, the 1886 Fire Insurance map shows that the homes in the small residential district were connected to city water and sewers. Nevertheless, the established press in the city still sought out barnyard animals for their street scene from Goose Island.